Rat Among Us
by Shadougelover14
Summary: One month after the BB battle, Fidget is happily living with Basil & Dawson. However, when his worst nightmare returns, his loyalty will be tested. Whose side will he choose?
1. Chapter 1

About a month after the near takeover of London, and the brutal battle on Big Ben, Basil was continuing to solve cases, now accompanied by his two assistants, Dr. Dawson and the reformed Fidget.

The crippled bat was thoroughly enjoying his time with the detective, but the others couldn't say it was all crumpets and tea. Despite his good intentions, Fidget, 50% of the time, ended up either annoying Basil's household, or causing a mess of things, like last week when he'd concocted his own little chemical mix with Basil's chemistry set.

Both Basil and Mrs. Judson were equally mad, but managed to hold their temper, knowing Fidget was just curious.

"Curiosity killed the bat…" Basil had muttered under his breath as he helped clean up.

All in all though, everyone enjoyed having him around. His crazy antics and eager to please attitude could always make anyone laugh. Even so, they needed a break sometimes.

That break came one chilly evening that promised rain later. Basil had received an invitation to a party, and was taking Dawson along. Mrs. Judson had gone out for the night off.

"Alright Dawson, ready to go?" Basil asked.

"Indeed I am, we best be off." Dawson replied.

"Alright! Where're we going?"

Fidget dropped down from the ceiling, where he liked to hang from every once and a while.

Basil sighed. He'd been over this already about 5 times in the last 4 hours.

"Fidget, for the last time. We, as in Dawson and I, are going to a party. You, are staying here."

"Why can't I go?"

"Because, it's a very formal party, and you my dear fellow, aren't, eh, how should I put this so you'd understand…you can be a slob."

Fidget frowned at him.

"What Basil means to say is, this will be a rather long and boring dinner, and we wouldn't want you getting bored now would we?" Dawson asked.

Fidget cocked his head in thought. Dawson sighed, then thought of another idea.

"We need someone to stay here and guard the house while we're away. Think you can handle it?"

"Oh, I get it! Heh heh, no problem! I can take care of this place easy!"

"That's a good boy. Now, we'll be back later. Take care."

Dawson and Basil quickly made their way towards the door and left, leaving Fidget alone. He fixed a cup of apple cinnamon tea, which he'd come to love, and sat in one of the armchairs in front of the fire.

He sighed as he relaxed in it. Normally, he'd only fall asleep comfortably if he was upside-down, but he found himself dozing in the chair.

The warmth of the fire and tea was soothing in the chilly weather, and he slowly curled up against the armrest. His sharp sense of smell picked up burning oak and coal from the fire, the apple cinnamon of the tea, and something that smelt familiar, but he couldn't quite name it.

After a minute it came to him. Mint, that's what it was.

'_Haven't smelled mint since I worked for Ratigan…'_

Mint had been Ratigan's personal favorite herb to burn or chew.

Basil didn't care for it though, he preferred cinnamon bark. So why would Fidget be smelling mint in Basil's house.

He opened his eyes blearily, got out of the chair, and glanced around the room for the source, walking to the center of the area as he sniffed the air. He didn't see anything at first.

Then, a large shadow engulfed him. He slowly turned around, as he had his back to the fire, and his blood ran cold.

"Good evening, Fidget." Ratigan greeted as he rested his elbow on the top of the chair, drawing in smoke from his cigarette pole.

Fidget screamed and made a break for the front door, but Ratigan grabbed his ears and pulled him back and off his feet.

"Leaving so soon? That's quite rude. I just thought we could catch up."

Fidget swallowed a large lump in his throat.

"H-h-h-how a-a-are you…?" he stammered, trying to hide his fear, but he knew that was an impossibility.

"Alive?" Ratigan chuckled. "Well, you see, as I was falling from Big Ben, there so happened to be some humans on a balloon ride. I managed to catch the basket, and stuck around until we reach the ground. I returned to my lair to recover, and as it turned out, all my fellow henchmen were gone, arrested. And who do I have to thank for that?"

Fidget gulped a little with a nervous smile.

"I'll give you a hint, it's not Basil. Well, not entirely anyway. Fidget, out of curiosity, what in that crazy mind of yours made you think to suddenly turn against me, after everything I've done for you?" Ratigan asked.

Fidget bit his lip and avoided Ratigan's eyes. The professor smirked and carried him over to the chair, dropping the bat into it. Fidget gulped as Ratigan circled him, and moved out of sight behind him.

"I've learned you've been making a name for yourself," Ratigan stated finally, causing Fidget to jump when he suddenly appeared on his right. Ratigan pulled out a cut out from a newspaper and held it out to Fidget, who hesitantly took it.

It was of the case Basil had solved last week, and it described how Basil and his two assistants, Dawson and Fidget, had stopped a weapons deal. There was a small paragraph about Fidget himself, describing his change of heart, and comments from Basil and Dawson about how they enjoyed working with him, and how they couldn't have solved the case without him. This was true, only Fidget had been small enough to fit into the vents to listen in on the dealers' conversations and plans.

"And I see you've been making new friends," Ratigan added, "Like, BASIL!"

Fidget flinched at Ratigan's growl.

"Uh, friend's a strong word, h-h-h-he's more like a, a, a, a room and board." Fidget stammered.

Ratigan chuckled softly.

"Anyway, back to my story. After a few weeks of recovery, that's when I started thinking up a plan for revenge. Of course, that was easy, with my brilliant mind."

Fidget couldn't help but snort at Ratigan's ego, but quickly regretted it when he was grabbed by the neck of his sweater and brought face to face with Ratigan. The rat was glaring at him, before taking a breath that seemed to calm him. He took a long draw of smoke from his cigarette pole, before blowing it in Fidget's face, causing the bat to cough while Ratigan spoke.

"As I was saying, I have a plan to get back at Basil. Now, I can be very forgiving, which is why I've included you in this plan."

"M-m-me?"

"Yes. I'm going to need someone on the inside to keep tabs on Basil, and when the time is right, I'll need you to lure him to a specified location. Are we clear?"

Fidget gulped slightly as he spoke.

"I-I-I-I'm n-n-n-not h-h-helping y-y-you."

Ratigan paused for a moment, before chuckling.

"Dear Fidget, I don't think you quite grasp the severity of your situation." He stated as he dropped Fidget back into the chair.

Ratigan wandered over to the fire, picking up the fire tongs along the way. He poked around the fire, until he picked up a rather large piece of coal that was a bright orange after being in the fire so long. As he turned back to Fidget, the bat's eyes widened at the sight of the hot coal.

"My patience with you is quite thin, and you should be thankful I've decided to give you another chance. My first idea involved tying you to cinderblocks and tossing you into the Thames," Ratigan stated.

Fidget shuddered, still eyeing the hot coal.

"All you have to do is help me take down Basil, and I can overlook your betrayal. Now, I'll ask you again, are, we, clear?" Ratigan asked slowly, pushing the hot coal towards him. Fidget pressed against the chair as far back as he could go, trembling.

The rock was close enough he could feel the heat radiating off of it. He swallowed another large lump in his throat as sweat poured down his face.

After a few seconds, he finally exclaimed, "Okay! Okay! Okay!"

Ratigan smirked, and tossed the coal back into the fire.

"That's a good boy." He said, patting Fidget on the head, before strolling towards the door. He paused at the shelf where Basil kept trophies of his success. A picture of Ratigan rested beside a small dinner bell. Ratigan plucked the bell from the shelf and pocketed it.

"I believe this is mine, anyway, I'll check in with you later. I've got to hire a few new helpers," Ratigan stated as he put on his top hat and opened the door, but before he stepped out, he turned back to Fidget.

"And Fidget, remember,"

Fidget glanced at him timidly from the chair.

"This is our little secret. So, tell no one about this, or I swear the pain I would cause you would have no earthly equal," Ratigan growled, before his tone turned cheerful, "Understand?"

Fidget nodded, crouching until only his eyes and ears were visible.

"Good boy. Now, ta ta." Ratigan tipped his hat, and laughed as he slammed the door. "Oh I love it when I'm nasty."

Fidget let out a breath that he felt like he'd been holding since Ratigan had shown up.

'_Ratigan's alive! Whatta am I gonna do?'_

Fidget shuddered as he watched the fire, eventually falling asleep…


	2. Chapter 2

"Wake up, Fidget!" a young voice called.

Fidget jumped a little as his eyes flew open. He was curled up against the armrest, a thick blanket over him and a pillow under his head. A young mouse was standing in front of the chair with an excited gleam in her eye.

"Oh…hey Livy." He yawned, stretching as he sat up.

"It's about time you woke up. I've got exciting news!" Olivia stated, practically bubbling with excitement.

Fidget twisted his head to the right sharply, and there was a loud crack as he popped his neck, which was sore from the position he'd slept in. Olivia flinched at the sound, but continued.

"My daddy made me a new toy, and I just had to show you! It's amazing! Come on!" she grabbed his arm and pulled him after her into the kitchen where everyone else was gathered at the table, save for Mrs. Judson, who was making breakfast.

"Nice to see you awake Fidget." Dawson stated as Olivia pulled Fidget over to the table.

Basil nodded at him, and returned to reading the paper. Hiram was there as well, and he greeted Fidget warmly. Everyone had noticed how Fidget had taken a shine to Olivia, which was understandable, due to her saving his life, in more ways than one, according to him. Every Saturday, Olivia and her father would come for a visit, usually around breakfast. Mr. Flaversham would then go take care of errands and grocery shopping, leaving Olivia to hang out with the household.

"Oh, good morning Fidget! My goodness, we came home last night and found you curled up in the chair; you were shivering like a leaf!" Mrs. Judson remarked, carrying over a plate of pancakes. Fidget chuckled a little, before the events of last night came back to him. He felt his blood chill again, and he shivered slightly, catching the land lady's attention.

"You're not getting sick are you, dear?"

"N-n-n-n-nope! I'm fine! So, uh, where's this new toy you were goin' on about, Livy?" Fidget stammered, quickly turning to the youngest mouse.

"Oh right, here it is." Olivia replied, setting a miniature carousal on the table. It was made of pink porcelain, and it had white horses in blue saddles, and was decorated with blue, white, and pink ribbons along the edge.

"Very lovely." Dawson remarked.

"Oh it's just adorable!" Mrs. Judson exclaimed.

"Wait till you see the best part!" Olivia said, pulling a little lever on top of the carousal. It started rotating, and the horses moved up and down as it went. Olivia giggled as she watched it.

"Impressive work, Flaversham." Basil remarked.

"Thank you. It was a simple matter of placing gears and tuning it just right…" Flaversham started, but Fidget tuned him out.

He didn't care for all the technical jargon, he just liked watching stuff work. He was moving towards the plate of pancakes when his sharp hearing picked up the faint ring of a bell. It was familiar, he knew he'd heard somewhere…

…Ratigan's bell.

He glanced at everyone else, making sure they didn't see him, before sneaking out of the room. He made his way to a window, and looked outside. He didn't see anyone; it was still early, about 9 o'clock, so everyone was still in their houses preparing for the rest of the day.Then he heard another ring. He quietly went out the front door, and made his way around into the alley, glancing around. He still didn't see anyone…

"Fidget?"

Fidget yelped and whipped around. Olivia was standing behind him, looking curious and concerned.

"L-L-Livy!? Don't ever do that!" Fidget exclaimed, panting as he tried to slow his heart rate.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. What're you doing out here?"

"Oh, uh, nothing! Just, uh, enjoying the mornin', yeah!"

Olivia shook her head.

"Fidget, you never like mornings because they're too bright. What are you really doing?"

"Uh, n-nothing…"

"Is something wrong, Fidget?"

"N-nope! Everything's A-Okay!"

"Fidget, we both know I'm the only person you can't lie to."

Fidget didn't respond as he glanced at the ground, biting his lip. Olivia smiled, before hugging him.

"Whenever you feel like telling me, I'm ready to listen, Fidget."

Fidget gulped a little. He considered telling her. Olivia was his best friend, he _should_ tell her.

But if he was hearing Ratigan's bell, that meant he was near. If Fidget spilled the beans right here and now, Ratigan would probably go after Olivia first before Fidget himself.

He grabbed Olivia's shoulder and gently pulled her away.

"Er, uh, right. Th-there's nothin' to tell, but I'll, uh, keep that in mind in case somethin' does come up! Now, uh, breakfast's probably gettin' cold so go chow down!" he ordered with a friendly grin, pushing her towards the alley's entrance.

Olivia sighed. "Alright, but promise me you'll tell me soon, ok?"

"N-nothin' to tell!"

"Fidget." Olivia gave him a hard look.

"Alright, alright, I promise."

Olivia smiled, before heading back inside, shutting the door behind her. Fidget let out a sigh of relief.

"Impressive." A voice remarked behind him.

He yelped again as he whipped around to face the speaker. Ratigan stepped out of the shadows that had kept him from view earlier.

"You're lying is quite excellent. I almost half believed it myself, if not for all the stuttering. That was always your problem. It seems I taught you well, eh?" Ratigan asked with his usual smirk.

Fidget cringed at the last remark.

"I see you and the girl are close friends. I'd lose many a night's rest if something untoward happened to her."

Fidget gulped. "Wh-wh-what…did you n-n-need?"

"Oh nothing, this was just a test to see how well you'd do to keep this quiet. Congratulations, you've passed, though I will have to deduct points for allowing that girl to follow. Oh, and you shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

Fidget felt a little relief that he wouldn't have to help Ratigan at the moment, but didn't allow his guard to drop.

"Now then, just go back inside and…try to act natural, if you can pull that off-"

Fidget's ears twitched at the sound of heavy footfalls, and glanced toward the entry to the alley. A baying filled the air, and both Ratigan and Fidget dove to a hiding place.

Fidget took cover inside an old shoe, and something big bounded its way towards him. After a few seconds it stopped, and a large nose sniffed its way into the shoe. Fidget exhaled in relief, and pushed the nose up as he stepped out of the shoe.

"Toby! Sheesh, yer gonna give me a heart attack!" he snapped as he frowned up at the large basset hound.

Toby panted, his tongue lolling out, before he licked the bat. This lifted him a few inches off the ground, before he fell back, covered in saliva.

"Hey! I just had this washed!" Fidget exclaimed, pulling at his sweater.

Toby continued smiling down at him.

"Alright, alright. Geez, I just gave ya one yesterday…" Fidget grumbled as he rummaged through the pocket in his wing. After a few seconds, he pulled out a crumpet.

The minute he pulled it out, it was swiped from his hand by a large pink tongue. Toby happily swallowed the small pastry, his tail wagging from joy.

"I don't have anymore, so go bug Livy about 'em!" Fidget grumbled.

Toby continued standing where he was, and Fidget sighed a little from annoyance. Then he realized he could use this distraction to retreat back inside. However, seconds after he thought of this, a voice called.

"Toby!"

A human appeared in the entrance.

"Toby, come on boy!"

Toby barked and ran off, leaving Fidget by himself in the alley. He let out a sigh, before he sensed someone behind him, and turned to see Ratigan.

"Seems you've been making friends with everyone, hm?" he asked with a smirk.

"Ehh...sorta..." Fidget replied nervously.

"Well isn't that adorable; now then, I have other matters to attend to, so run along now and keep quiet."

Fidget gulped as he started to back away. After a moment however, he stopped, and timidly met the rat's eyes.

"Y-You won't hurt...hurt Livy though...r-right, you won't?"

Ratigan paused for a moment, before snickering.

"My dear Fidget, unlike you, I can't make a promise I can't keep. She's quite nosy, so I can't confirm she'll make it out alive."

At this, Fidget narrowed his eyes and bared his sharp teeth.

"You're NOT gonna hurt her!" He growled.

Ratigan looked stunned at his behavior at first, before it was quickly replaced with a dark glare. Fidget only had time to squeak before he was hoisted off the cobblestone, the front of his shirt clenched tightly in the angered rat's fist.

"You dare speak to ME like that?" He hissed, yellow eyes ablaze with fury.

"The only reason you're even alive now is because I allowed it! So if you wish to continue to be so, and if you want the girl to live another day, you'll be respectful and do as I say!"

The small bat was trembling fearfully, and gave a timid nod when prompted.

"Fidget!" Olivia's voice reached them from the front door. Ratigan glanced in her direction, before dropping the bat to the ground.

"Run along dear Fidget, your little friend is calling."

Fidget scrambled to his feet, and rushed off towards the door. Ratigan watched him go with a smirk, before strolling over to the manhole, which was lifted by two shadowy figures, and he vanished into the sewers below.

::::::::::::::::::

Fidget paused at the corner of the alley to collect himself, and glanced back to see Ratigan had vanished. To where, Fidget didn't know or care, so long as he was no where near Olivia or himself. He took a few deep breathes, before turning the corner with a large smile. Olivia was in the doorway, and smiled upon seeing him.

"Mrs. Judson said we can't have any crumpets until you come back in! Hurry Fidget!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm-I'm comin'!" He stammered, mounting the steps. He was glad everyone was used to his stuttering; he wouldn't be able to talk straight for a long while...

:::::::::::::::::

**_Guess who just re-watched The Great Mouse Detective; this girl!_**

**_Yes, I finally updated! Maybe the next one will only take three months this time! Ha ha...I dunno, it depends on my classes. It might be the only update this weekend; I've got two essays due next week. But I wrote another chapter, so there IS hope for this story! R&R!_**


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